The Ties that Bind Us
by Lewd Concubine
Summary: Always he has been gluttonous, never fully satisfied. Now in this modern era, there is much power to gain and many obstacles to overcome upon meeting her again. But could she be the one give him what he really needs? NarakuKagome
1. Into the Dark Tunnel My Pretty

-1**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. 

**Warnings: This is fairly suspenseful and contains some non-con. It is not for everyone. Some tentacle involved (but not much). **

**The Ties that Bind Us (Edited Version)**

**Chapter 1: Into the Dark Tunnel My Pretty**

**by: Naraku's Dark Soul**

The tunnel was a dark and dank place. It smelled rather like a sewer, of waste and dread things that shouldn't be mentioned, and seemed to stretch on forever. Not for the first time that night, Kagome wondered to herself exactly how she had managed to get into such a situation.

With her hands tracing the grimy contours of the nondescript and shadowy walls, Kagome sighed and continued making her way forward. Why she was afraid of this dark place, she didn't know. When she was younger, she had faced all manner of trials while traveling with Inuyasha, a dark tunnel should be nothing to her.

"_Inuyasha_…" she thought as she bit her lip. The mere mention of his name almost brought her to tears. How many years had it been since the final battle? Although they had defeated Naraku, almost all of her friends had been killed, including InuYasha, leaving her no reason to return to the Sengoku Jidai. She had come back through the well, and despite being so far behind in her classes, had managed to catch up and make it into a decent university. She had, of course, become involved with several boyfriends, but nothing could erase the hanyou of her past. Each one of them sensed something amiss about her, saw through her bright façade, and left her quickly. She would have been fearless, but he was no longer here to protect her…which brought her mind back to her current predicament: the scary dark tunnel with seemingly no end, and in which she was currently located.

Kagome sighed and continued her trek, still feeling her way along the walls. She kept walking like this for a while, the darkness smothering all sense of time for her. It could have been a few minutes, or an hour, she didn't know. Her lack of a flashlight, or any light for that matter, was really starting to bother her. She grimaced as her hand touched something cold and slimy. It was going to be a looong night, or maybe it was daylight by now. She really had no idea of the time. Either way, it didn't matter.

After another interval of time, Kagome found herself growing tired. She waged a heated debate with herself over whether to take a break or keep going. The former option won out, and she plopped herself down on the dank ground, scattering several newspapers, or what _felt_ like newspapers, she didn't know.

She was sitting, massaging her sore feet with the pads of her thumbs—they really were sore—when a sound broke the silence. At first she thought she must be imagining it, there was no way anyone else was dumb enough to start walking blithely down this seemingly innocent tunnel, no one but her that is. The sound stopped and she sighed. "_Yup…just my imagination_," she thought and resumed rubbing her feet. She had stopped massaging them for a moment to listen.

It must have been a few minutes later, when the sound came again. This time it was unmistakable. Footsteps. Granted, they sounded far away, but Kagome was slightly alarmed by this new development. While there was a chance that it was a Good Samaritan with a much welcomed flashlight, there was also the chance that it was someone far less pleasant…maybe even a serial killer. She knew her imagination was probably running wild, but the thought was still there, and it was enough to make her stand up and resume walking, albeit quietly so the other person wouldn't notice.

She kept walking, and so did the other person. In fact, it seemed as though this anonymous Stranger was walking faster than her, and would soon be upon her. This thought both irked and scared Kagome. She matched the Stranger's pace so as to maintain the distance between them, sweating the whole while. It wasn't the warm, salty sweat of summer, but rather the cold clammy concern of fear. It seemed like the tunnel's temperature had dropped by a few degrees. The air was noticeably colder than it had been before. Kagome felt sure that if there was any light, she would be able to see her own breath frosting out in front of her.

She shivered and tried not to panic, still keeping pace with the Stranger, her fingers becoming raw due to the grain of the stone as she dragged them along. Now that the Stranger was closer, she could feel his anonymous aura…and it wasn't friendly at all. Kagome was sure now that the obvious drop in temperature was not due to some atmospheric phenomenon, but rather the Stranger's dark aura. Kagome shivered again and began to walk faster, her breath coming in quicker now.

She gritted her teeth as she heard the Stranger's footsteps increase in frequency. This anonymous person was now keeping pace with _her_. The feeling was unnerving, she _knew_ then that the Stranger was aware of her presence. Cold beads of sweat rolled down her spine as all the warnings her mother had embedded deep into her brain about strangers came back to haunt her.

She began to run.

It was soon apparent that the Stranger was also running, running faster than her, and rapidly closing the distance between them. As this realization set in, Kagome let her hands fall from the wall and began running blindly into the darkness, oblivious to all else.

With her breath coming in sharp gasps and the blood pounding in her ears, she couldn't hear the Stranger's footfalls anymore. The Stranger could have been two feet behind her, and she wouldn't have noticed except for his aura. Her already tentative grasp on time had now disappeared completely. She had no idea how long she had been running blindly into the maw of despair. Her only evidence of its passage was in her burning muscles and dry throat. Still, she kept running, for as the stranger's aura got closer, she could sense how riddled with malice it really was…and it definitely wasn't human. The fact that she was being chased by a demon was more than enough to spur her on. Who knew what kinds of things would happen to her if she stopped? Then again, if the stranger following her really was a demon, he should have been able to catch up long ago. "This person is toying with me," Kagome thought and gritted her teeth, her spine prickling with fear. Inuyasha wasn't here to save her now. This thought broke her concentration, and it was enough for her to trip.

After what seemed like an eternity of time spent teetering on the edge of an unknown cliff, she fell. It may have been the mediocre craftsmanship of the floor, or it could have been her own exhausted body which caused the mishap, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was now face down on the cold cement floor with possible injuries to her hands and arms, which she had used to break her descent. Also of concern was the fact that the Stranger's footsteps had ceased. His dark aura was only twenty feet behind her, she was sure of it. Inuyasha wasn't here to save her now.

As she picked herself off of the ground, she was sobbing, her throat convulsing with each breath, her wounded hands shaking. She fumbled in her newly re-discovered purse for any kind of weapon she might use against the Stranger and found none. Normally she carried pepper spray with her at all times, but she had cleaned out her purse the previous night and had forgotten to put it back in. She cursed herself for this even as she pressed her back against the tunnel wall, knowing full well she couldn't get away now. This thought was lost; however, as she heard the Stranger's slow, calculated footsteps approaching. Now heard his steady breath—he wasn't even winded. Definitely a demon and had most definitely been toying with her, allowing her hope of escape when there really was none.

It seemed an eternity later, when a clammy hand touched her abdomen, and she, numb with fear and shock, could do nothing but silence her sobs. She couldn't even move when the Stranger lifted her blouse and began playing with one of her taut nipples through her bra. Now that he, she was sure of his gender in this instant, was so close she could feel something oddly familiar about his aura, as though she _should_ recognize him by this, but didn't.

The stranger added another hand to her body, and continued to fondle her—as of yet—untouched breasts. No words were exchanged, and Kagome didn't trust herself to move or speak. She could feel the power in those hands, and the malice in his aura, and knew that if she made one wrong move, he would kill her. She would have used her miko powers at this point if she could have, but she hadn't been able to use them since the jewel was destroyed. It seemed she was less than Kikyou's reincarnation; the jewel had been the only thing lending her power, allowing her to be of use to her group.

The Stranger used a nail to slice neatly through her bra, leaving her exposed to the cold tunnel air. She winced and tried to draw away, but his firm hands held her in place, squeezing her breasts further. He bent his head down close to her ear and licked her, a tendril of his obviously long hair coming to rest on her shoulder. Distracted by this, Kagome hardly noticed the Stranger sucking on her neck. If he had long hair, could it be, Inuyasha? But no, Inuyasha would never do something like this to her, and she didn't think his brother would either. Naraku was dead, and so was Kouga. This left her with few remaining suspects. Perhaps she hadn't known this demon in the past, maybe he was someone entirely new to her…but then why did his aura feel so familiar? She didn't know.

The Stranger suddenly lifted her into his arms, breaking his contact with her breasts. She gasped a little then, feeling his warmth radiating down her side. By touch, she could tell he was wearing some sort of business suit, additionally, the fabric felt quite nice. He was clearly a demon of some wealth and power. Kagome didn't know what to make of all that was happening to her, and she hadn't a clue how to fight back. It was true that in her younger years she had never let anything keep her down, but, she had grown older, and Inuyasha wasn't here to save her now.

The Stranger brought her out of her thoughts by laying her down on the ground and sitting on top of her. Now she really had nowhere to go. As this realization sank in, she began a silent struggle against him, flailing her legs and pushing against his firm chest. The Stranger paid her struggles no mind, instead he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. Kagome was so surprised that she forgot herself and almost kissed him back, his soft and sensuous lips almost making her drop her guard. Just as quickly as he had brought his lips down on hers, the stranger took them away to plant them on her breast. He sucked on it for a while, tracing circles around her pert nipple with his warm, wet tongue. Underneath him, Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably and tried not to make any noise. The Stranger's hair, which had fallen over his shoulders and onto her arms and chest as he kissed her, was tickling her. It was soft and smelled good, almost otherworldly. She resisted the urge to grab it and continued to try and push him off of her.

He continued ignoring her vain efforts at escape and moved on to her other breast, lavishing it with the same attention. The affected breast happened to be one of her most sensitive areas, and she had to stifle a gasp. The Stranger apparently heard this, because he took it deeper into his mouth, causing her to gasp—not quite able to stifle it this time. As he pulled back to lick at the nipple, Kagome swore that if she could see his face, a smirk would no doubt be found there. As his mouth worked on her breast, she could feel the Stranger attempting to shed his clothes. She heard his tie loosen, and then felt the fabric drop to her side. Next she could hear buttons being undone; he sat up to cast aside his jacket and blouse and they fell to her side in the same manner as his tie.

At this point, the Stranger attempted to free her from her blouse, which had been pushed above her breasts and forgotten until now. She resisted a bit until he finally broke the silence with a curt command. "I'll tear it." he said, and she froze, allowing him to remove the offending garment. He was definitely someone she knew. The voice was so sensual and familiar it was painful, and yet she couldn't quite put her finger on who it was.

"Who are you, and why are you doing this to me?" she said as she tried to shove him off again, his bare chest firm and warm, his muscles like steel underneath his smooth skin. It was easier to speak now that he had broken the silence.

"It's a secret." he replied curtly, his voice still giving nothing away

"I know you don't I?" she said, still trying to shove him. It was like trying to move granite; his flesh was like living stone to her, warm and yet infinitely unyielding.

"Yes." was his only reply as he dipped his head in to give her another kiss, simultaneously holding both of her hands over her head. Although the kiss was still one-sided, he didn't seem to mind. With his free hand, he began to undo the buttons on her skirt. When this was done, he undid her zipper and slowly let his fingers slide under the smooth material until they touched her underwear. She squeaked as he tucked his soft hand into her underwear and began moving toward her most intimate of areas.

By now Kagome was becoming quite panicked, but there wasn't much she could do with her hands in his tight grip. Instead of trying to free her hands she turned to the side, breaking the kiss. Unperturbed, he moved to the side and licked her cheek, his tongue leaving a hot trail down her face and neck. He moved in closer, warm breath ghosting in her ear as he took her sensitive earlobe into his mouth and bit down gently. At the same time, the first of his fingers found its way to her bud and began rhythmically rubbing it. Her body was being stimulated so much in that moment—in ways she had never even dreamed of—that Kagome could not hold back a moan.

She knew it was wrong. She didn't even know this Stranger. He might know her, but in the darkness, she did not know him and she certainly did not want him. She moaned again as he brought a second finger down to bear upon her sensitive flesh, his sharp teeth still pulling at her soft earlobe. He began to put pressure upon her nub and slowly move his fingers, causing her to jerk beneath him, her legs trying to close on his hand.

Kagome's arms jerked in his hands and she gasped as he wormed something around her panties and into her passage. She grunted and recoiled a bit, straining against him as he further inserted it into her body, the thick object pushing itself inside of her. It was large and stiff and her thoughts quickly became muddled as he began to move it in rhythm with his fingers. She didn't even stop to think about the fact that he only had two hands and was currently sitting on her. Didn't stop to think about what it could be. Her whole world was narrowing, intensifying, closing in on her. She was drawing into herself, her muscles coiling, ready to spring. Everything in her body was tightening, preparing for something, she didn't know what. The Stranger, sensing she was near, quickened his fingers, and the thing inside of her quickened its pace as well. He leaned down and licked her nipple and this was all that was needed to send her hypersensitive body over the edge.

Her face contorted in pleasure as her eyes shut reflexively and her mouth opened in a silent 'o' as her first ever orgasm wracked her body. As the first wave of pleasure exploded within her, she felt like everything was contracting at once. She writhed in the Stranger's grasp and let out a series of sharp gasps. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Everything was burning so brightly, and she was lost inside the moment, unseeing and unfeeling. She barely registered him removing his appendages from her flesh. Barely registered his sonorous and dark laugh. Barely registered the fact that her hands were free. Indeed, she barely registered anything at all.

He snapped his fingers and brought her out of her pleasurable trance. Immediately she could feel the oppressive atmosphere within the tunnel begin to lift. It became a touch lighter and for the first time she was able to dimly discern the details of the Stranger's face, although she still couldn't quite tell who it was. The tunnel gradually became even lighter and she saw more of him. Saw his long raven black hair, his full, sensual lips, the pallid color of his taut skin. She covered her mouth in shock as the realization of who he was hit her. But it didn't matter. Her eyes met his and she was instantly lost, trapped within his crimson gaze. She found she could not look away from him, and was duly fascinated by the way he was staring at her. No one had ever looked at her with such hungry eyes before, not even Inuyasha. It made her quiver in places she had never even thought of until recently and she blushed. So distracted was she that she only vaguely registered the fact that a tentacle was retracting into his back. He licked his lips and smirked at her, standing up and smoothly dusting off his pants. He bent down, and after collecting his clothing, dropped a business card at her feet.

He stepped back and began walking away from her, slipping on his t-shirt and jacket as he went. She could hear the swish of his tie as he knotted it around his neck. When he was fully dressed, he turned his head towards her and formed his full lips into a smirk. "You will come to me," he said and turned away from her again, his steps soon carrying him far away from her.

As she lay there alone in the semi-dark, nearly nude body glistening with fluids, a single name found its way to her lips "Naraku," she said and sighed. His name rolled off her lips like so much sweet honey.

_Inuyasha wasn't here to save her anymore, and perhaps she didn't want him to either._

(Note:) The reason for Kagome being alone in the tunnel is open for your interpretation and may be explained in later chapters. I only used Japanese words when they fit better than their English counterparts. Constructive criticism welcomed, and in fact encouraged. I am always seeking to improve my writing, so any advice is much appreciated.


	2. Salvation through Sin

-1**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.

**Warnings: This chapter contains much sexual content. It is not for everyone. If you are underage, please do not read it.**

Please, please remember to read the warnings. I will ALWAYS tell you if there is anything that could squick you and/or if there is sexual content in the chapter.

**The Ties that Bind Us (Edited Version)**

**Chapter 2: Salvation through Sin **

**by: Naraku's Dark Soul**

As Kagome stood and stared at the tall and imposing building that was Naraku's office, she wondered for the hundredth time what exactly she was getting herself into, a recurring theme in her life to be sure. Sighing, she took a step forward and closer to the structure. In the past, choices like this had been beyond her control. She hadn't chosen to be suddenly dropped into the Sengoku Jidai, hadn't asked to spend years of her life looking for perilously small shards of a now worthless bauble, hadn't chosen to fall in love only to have him so callously ripped away. She had been fate's whipping post for years, subject to the endless trials and tribulations only destiny could hand her. She frowned. Well, now it was her turn to decide. She was taking her life back into her own hands. At least she thought she was. It could all be another of fate's ironic plans for her. She simply didn't know.

She took another step toward the tall, black building. It was so dark that it was hard to discern where the structure ended and the sky began. She wondered if he had designed it this way on purpose, a building as black as the sky, as black as his heart. Kagome inched forward yet again, wincing just a bit at the slight feel of youki emanating from the office building. Really. What on Earth was she doing here? Thoughts of escape plagued her mind for a moment as she once more gazed at the impressive structure. Such evil, such blackness. She felt sure that if there were a power outage, no one would even know this building existed. It would probably blend in perfectly, as it was almost doing now, even with the lights from all the surrounding office buildings. It would just fade into the blackness, camouflaging itself and no doubt waiting to spring upon an unsuspecting victim.

"_Just like a spider_,"Kagome thought as she walked over to the entrance and pushed the heavy door open, "_just like Naraku_." She grimaced a bit as she crossed the threshold and stepped into the building, the feel of the demonic aura becoming more apparent as she got closer to the source.

The inside of the office building was suspiciously bright, the light seemingly effervescent, the source halogens hardly noticeable. Black marble floors shone decadently as she approached the information center's embossed counter. The secretary, who was filing her nails, gazed at Kagome attentively as she came to a stop. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked politely as she put her nail file down.

"Y-yes. I was wondering if you could point me to Mr…." Kagome trailed off as she realized she didn't know what name Naraku was going by these days. She hastily licked her dry lips and opened her purse to search for his card. Upon finding it, she could not help but chuckle. "Sorry," she said at the secretary's quizzical look "Mr. Kagewaki's office?" she finished and put the card safely back in her purse.

At the sound of his name, the secretary immediately perked up. "Might you be a Miss Higurashi?" she asked. Kagome's eyes widened in shock. "_He really did expect me to show up here_," she thought with some surprise. The secretary, taking her silence as an affirmative answer proceeded to point her over to an elevator off to the side. "Mr. Kagewaki has been expecting you," She said and smiled sweetly, her blue eyes somehow less than friendly. This made Kagome a bit apprehensive. She backed away from the counter and slowly headed over in the direction the secretary had pointed.

Unlike the other normal elevators, this one had dark wooden paneling and was embossed with gold. The doors were solid black. The dividing line was also embossed with gold. She had a strange feeling about this elevator. It didn't seem like it belonged. She felt certain that a normal human would not be able to see it. Kagome turned around to look at the still smiling secretary, who nodded at her. Slowly, and with some apprehension, she pushed the up button on the wall. This too was golden and with a stunningly black onyx for an arrow. It pulsed a little under her finger, almost as if it were alive. She shivered at this and withdrew her finger to wait.

She heard the customary whooshing sound and after what seemed like only a few moments the elevator bell rang and the dark doors opened for her. She stepped inside quickly, wanting to get it over with. The inside of the elevator mirrored the outside, all sinfully dark woods trimmed with gold. Dark red carped adorned the floor. As Kagome noticed this, she laughed and some of her nervous tension melted away. He was really "rolling out the red carpet" for her. The smile faded from her face as she realized she had no idea of which floor to go.

Her eyes darted to the buttons to see how many there were. Relief washed over her as she realized there were only two, one for the first and one for the seventy-fifth floor. "_This must be an express elevator_," she thought as she pushed the latter button. The elevator doors closed immediately and it began a fast ascent. The speed was such that she almost fell and had to brace herself against the wall to keep from injury. Express elevator indeed. Somehow, Kagome felt like a package being delivered. This brought her back to the reality of her situation. Here she was willingly walking right into her supposed mortal enemy's office. She felt a twinge of pain somewhere in her chest and the thought came again and unbidden; what was she doing here? Kagome sighed. No matter what had happened in the distant past, she could not deny the things he made her feel. Feelings no other man had ever inspired in her. Just thinking about it made her blush. She was nervous for multiple reasons this night. Yet no matter how she looked at it, she remained torn.

As the elevator came to a stop on the seventy-fifth floor, Kagome wasn't sure whether she should get out or take it back down. In her indecision, the elevator doors began to close and she had to make a hasty exit onto Naraku's floor. There was only one door and it was at the end of a relatively long hall. The same dark red carpet as in the elevator awaited her feet here. The walls were the same dark wood and had the same golden trim. Instead of the usual office lighting, wall sconces were in place every few feet. The whole place, like the elevator, had a strange feeling about it. She felt again that normal humans would not see this hallway. Kagome began walking down the hall. With each step, the youki she sensed became more apparent until she felt like she was drowning in it. When she finally reached the door, she had to rest for a moment against the heavy oak paneling.

She heard a lock click and the door she had been leaning against creaked open a little. It was almost as if he knew she was there. Kagome looked up at the ceiling and noticed a security camera. "So that's how," she said as she pushed the door farther open, still staring at the camera.

The first thing that caught her eye in the room was the domed ceiling. It was made of what looked like marble and appeared to have a seam down the middle. The whole thing was decorated with a marvelous relief of what appeared to be the Christian heaven and hell. On one side, there was the Christian god and his angels, on the other there was the Christian devil and his demons. All appeared to be glaring across the open space at each other. The hellish side was encircled by flames and many suffering humans were visible in the background. Various forms of grotesque torture were depicted. Kagome looked away from a particularly hideous demon and toward the heaven side; the god and his swirling clouds and beautiful angels were far more pleasant to the eye. Before she could absorb any more detail, a voice interrupted her. "Can I help you?"

Kagome almost jumped, for a second she had forgotten why she was here, and whom she was here to see. She tore her eyes away from the beautiful relief on the ceiling to look across the room. There, behind a huge mahogany desk with the now typical gold trim sat a completely unfamiliar man. His black hair was short and slicked back on his head. Unfamiliar black eyes stared out at her through stylish glasses. His dark blue suit was crisp and expensive looking, but did not resemble the one she had seen Naraku wearing before. "Miss?" he asked and smiled at her over folded hands, his elbows on his desk.

"I'm sorry" she said and backed up a step. "I must have the wrong office." She turned to go but was stopped by his voice.

"May I ask who you are looking for? Perhaps I can help you," he said and made to get up from his desk, the leather of his fine chair squeaking as he shifted positions.

"Oh no, that's okay," she said and smiled at him. "I don't want to trouble you." She began to back away, but was again stopped by his voice.

"It's fine. Really. It's not every day that someone wanders into this office through that door," he said as he slowly moved out from behind his desk, languidly taking a few steps towards her. Kagome looked back at the way she had come and was surprised to find that there was no door there anymore. A knot formed in her stomach at this and she began to sweat. What was going on? The man chuckled behind her. She started at the sound and shifted her gaze to him, staring intently. He was still smiling, but his brown eyes held some unknown emotion in them. Brown eyes. She could have sworn they had been black before. As she watched, his eyes took on a reddish hue. The room suddenly seemed hotter. She felt a wave of energy pass over her and shivered.

The man smiled again. "I think I may know who you are looking for," he said as his expression became more sinister, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk as he narrowed his eyes at her. Right before her eyes, his features seemed to melt. His glasses fell off as his nose and ears changed shape. His hair, which had been straight and short, now lengthened considerably and became wavy. Red overtook the brown in his eyes. His entire body seemed to stretch, growing taller until his clothes barely fit. His skin became paler as his hair fell around his face. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. Kagome was rooted to the spot and she stared open-mouthed at him as his hand reached up to brush his hair away and Naraku's smiling visage was revealed. Kagome's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull at this. Although she knew he was a shape-shifter, she had never really stopped to think about the implications of such a thing.

All Kagome could do was stare as Naraku took a few steps closer to her. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed the massive amount of youki emanating from him before. It should have been obvious. As he stepped even closer, she finally found her voice. "Why the tricks?" she asked and frowned. She thought maybe time had changed him, but it appeared not.

"No tricks. This is the form I normally take when I am here," he said and smiled, his eyes glinting in the soft light.

"Why not just keep your true form?"

"I should think that would be obvious," he stated as he brushed a lock of his hair behind his ear. The motion caught her eye and she almost missed what he said next. "You are the only human alive who knows my true form." He gestured to several photographs on the wall, each of the smiling man from before. "To everyone else, this is me."

Naraku stepped forward and reached for her. Kagome felt his youki pulse as he ran his fingers slowly down the side of her face and neck. "I always wondered why you were so different from the others, even from Kikyou." At the mention of her name, Kagome flinched. The old wound was still there, albeit scabbed over, but it still hurt being compared to her.

"No comparisons please," she said and turned away from his hand. A knowing smirk appeared on Naraku's face as he let his hand drop back to his side.

"Ah yes, a pain I understand only too well," he said and chuckled, his mirthless laughter doing nothing to ease the rising tension in the room. Kagome didn't know what to say to this. It was true that the others had compared him to Onigumo many times, but she had never really noticed the similarity in their situations. She felt a twinge of pain in her chest as she realized how he must have felt in those instances.

"My, but this does bring back memories," he said, his voice bitter.

"Yes," she agreed. Such memories were better left in ancient times. She looked down at her feet, lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"Come, let us forget such things," he said, a half-smile on his lips. At this, Kagome looked at him and smiled herself. Naraku moved toward her until their bodies were almost touching. "There are much more…._pleasant_, diversions to occupy us," he continued, leaning over her, his long hair framing his face. He reached over and ran his finger across her lips and down her chin until his hand came to rest on her chest. Kagome blushed at this and stepped away, almost dropping her purse.

"I never said I wanted this," she said and frowned. It was true that she had come here intent on seeing Naraku, but she still wasn't sure she wanted _this_ kind of attention from him. He smirked again before moving close to her. He leaned over and brought his face inches from her own. Kagome turned away from him, still blushing. Naraku closed the distance between them with his tongue. He licked her face slowly from her chin all the way to her ear where he paused, his hot breath ghosting over her.

"I think we both know why you are _really_ here," he whispered huskily, his warm breath causing her to shudder. Before she could protest, he turned her head towards him and kissed her. His kiss was forceful, his lips hard and demanding. Kagome all but melted under him. There was no time to think. Her whole body suddenly seemed to be burning with desire and she couldn't help but respond to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss hungrily, moaning into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her flush against him so that she could feel the heat coming in waves off his body, could feel him starting to harden.

As suddenly as he had instigated the kiss, Naraku ended it. He pulled back from her and easily escaped from her arms, leaving her disheveled and blushing furiously, her purse lying forgotten on the red carpet where it had fallen. As she tried to collect herself, she watched him walk towards his desk and move past it towards an ornate looking panel on the wall. The panel was made of mahogany and inlaid with the usual gold. A large onyx button, similar to the ones outside the elevator, took prominence in the center. Naraku reached for the button, but then paused and turned around to face her.

"Do you like stars, Kagome?" he asked, his hand hovering above the button. He smiled at her and winked. Kagome's eyes widened and she stared at him quizzically. What did stars have to do with anything?

"Stars?" she asked, her brows furrowed. Naraku shook his head agreeably and smirked.

"Yes, stars. Do you like them?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. I guess," she said as she nervously shifted from foot to foot. What on Earth was Naraku planning?

"I find them to be quite…calming," he said as he pushed the button. Immediately, a dull rumbling filled the room. Slightly alarmed, Kagome looked around trying to find the source of the noise. Naraku appeared unmoved and simply sat back down in his leather chair. Kagome stared at him and as she did so, saw the ceiling splitting open down the middle in her peripheral vision. She looked up and stared wide-eyed as the ceiling receded into the walls of Naraku's office.

"_So that's what the seam was for,"_ she thought as the rumbling stopped with a final loud clang. The resulting night sky was beautiful and blissfully clear, the stars shining brightly in the heavens. As Kagome searched for her favorite constellation, she almost forgot Naraku was there. Although she didn't say anything to him, she felt the same way about stars as he did. When traveling in the Sengoku Jidai, she had always loved the nighttime. Stargazing made her forget about the day's worries. She always felt calm staring at the blackness of space. Kagome was happy that she and Naraku shared this feeling. _"We have something else in common after all,"_ she thought as she approached his desk, smiling. _"Onigumo and Kikyou are not the only ties that bind us."_

He smiled back and gestured to his desk. "Come, sit with me." She stopped just in front of his desk and looked around. There were no other chairs in the room.

"What do you mean?" She moved to the side of his desk and started to sink down on the carpet. He placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Up here," he said as he guided her to her feet. He let go of her arm and slid his chair back a little bit, patting the section of his desk directly in front of him. Kagome hesitated for a moment before sitting down. She smoothed her long, blue skirt carefully into place, making sure to protect herself from his roving stare. He smirked at her as if her intentions were obvious and went for her leg, his warm hand landing on her calf right below the end of her garment.

"It is quite long, this time," he said as he caressed her calf before deftly sliding his hand up to her inner thigh. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat and she blushed furiously at this intimate touch before trying to close her legs on his hand. Naraku smirked, bringing his other hand up to join the first and easily spreading her legs. He leaned forward in his seat, kneading her thighs. Kagome tried to frown, but couldn't seem to manage it. His hands were unnaturally hot, more so than she remembered, as they caressed her flesh. She shivered. She had never had a man touch her in this way. Even back in the tunnel, he hadn't done this much to her. She blushed again as he hooked his thumbs over the end of her skirt, sliding it up past her thighs until it bunched at her waist. "Lean back."

Kagome just stared at him, her mouth agape. Was he really going to do _that_? He smirked devilishly at her and nodded slightly, leaving her wondering if he could read her mind. She closed her gaping mouth and tried not to squirm at the thought. Naraku leaned in close until his face was level with her panties and licked her through the rich cloth. It was a quick touch, but one that excited her. It was suddenly very hard to think. He rolled his eyes up to look at her from his position between her legs, watching her face as he licked her again, a long sure stoke of his tongue. It just felt so _good_. She couldn't help the moan that squeezed out of her throat, or the way brows furrowed together. He smirked, running his hands up the remainder of her thighs until they came to rest on the top of her black panties. "Lean back."

Kagome did as she was told, wilting on the desk. It was wide enough that her head did not hang off the edge. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the stars so distant in the night sky and felt suddenly as if she had forgotten something. Some piece of herself had fallen away when she leaned back and was now gone, irretrievable. If only she could remember what it was, she would be able to think again.

Naraku chuckled, his hot breath on her sensitive flesh making her shiver, before slowly sliding his fingers under the black satin of her panties, pulling them slowly down her legs. She could feel the mixture of the cool air and his hot breath caress her skin as her underwear slid down her calves and he helped it to the floor. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped as Naraku slipped his hands underneath her to cup her butt. He lifted her slightly, squeezing each cheek as he did so, eliciting a small moan from her as he slowly licked her smooth, naked flesh. He seemed to take this as a sign, burying his head between her legs, covering her sensitive bud with his mouth and sucking hard on it. Kagome screamed and flailed on the desk, muscles twitching. The sensation was like nothing she had experienced ever before. Her breath came in short gasps from and she couldn't help but press herself into his face.

As he moved to lavish his complete attentions on her nub, flicking it rapidly with his tongue, Kagome closed her legs on his head and moaned loudly. Her body was _on fire_, every inch of her burning up. The pleasure was so intense, she felt sure that she would explode. As Naraku alternated between sucking on her and flicking it with his tongue, she could feel her muscles coiling, ready to spring at any moment. All it took was one thrust of his tongue into her achingly empty passage and she was gone, screaming her pleasure to the world as her nails scored the wood of his desk. He moved back from her, laying her back down on the desk, but she hardly noticed. It seemed she lay there for an eternity, chest heaving, pert nipples showing through the thin fabric of her white blouse, before she could recover enough to open her eyes. When had she closed them? She couldn't remember that either.

Naraku was sitting back in his chair again, gaze fixed somewhere quite low on her body. Kagome blushed and tried to close her legs as she realized what a shameful display she was putting on, but was unable to. Her legs felt so weak and hard to move, she could only push them together with her hands. Naraku chuckled at this and diverted his gaze to her face.

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" he asked as he captured her eyes with his and licked his lips sensually, his expert tongue tracing them perfectly. This caused renewed blushing on Kagome's part. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. The things he did to her body were so new and the feelings they inspired in her so alien, that she couldn't help but blush. Him with his head buried between her legs, him looking at her I _there_ /I , him with that knowing smirk on his face, as if he'd been there before, it was all so….so embarrassing! She sometimes wondered if she would ever regain her composure in front of him. As he leaned forward and pulled her into his lap, she felt sure she wouldn't.

Naraku smirked at her yet again--was that all he ever did?---before leaning in to claim her lips with his. The kiss was as demanding and harsh as she had come to expect, all crushing lips and his tongue exploring every last inch of her mouth. Experimentally, Kagome sucked on it the next time it came to her. He shuddered at this and grunted into her mouth, the first sound of pleasure she had heard from him. Figuring she was doing something right, she continued to suck on the muscle. This drew another sound from deep inside his throat, more of a growl than a grunt this time. Sitting in his lap, she could feel his hard warmth though his pants and knew the effect she was having on him. This pleased her somehow, that she would be able to do this to a man, especially one like Naraku who had no doubt had many lovers. A brief and unwarranted surge of jealousy flashed through her as she thought of Kikyou, She wrapped her arms around his neck and redoubled her efforts at his lips, sucking hard on his tongue and causing him to produce more base noises of pleasure. Triumph welled up in her to replace the jealousy she had previously felt as he pulled her closer to him, gripping her waist possessively.

As quickly as this emotion had come, it was gone, leaving her feeling foolish and confused. What on Earth was she doing feeling all these things for Naraku? It was absolutely ridiculous! There was no way she could ever feel enough for him to be jealous. No way she was trying to compete with Kikyou, _again. _It was this thought, and not her previous inner turmoil that caused her to pull back from his greedy lips.

She made a move to leave, but was stopped by Naraku's wandering hand gripping her butt. "Going somewhere?" he quipped. It was all Kagome could do not to fall back onto him. She wanted him to devour her, burn her up, replace the pain she had carried for so long with pleasure of his own making. Even with the promise of relief from her burden of survivor's guilt, she hesitated. She did not want to compete with Kikyou for a man's heart ever again. Once was enough. She could not bear the thought of being just her replacement, always second best, easily discarded if the original were to ever show up again. With the feelings she was _apparently_ starting to have for Naraku,--Kagome cursed whatever god had decided to put her in this situation; fate messing up her life _yet_ again--she knew she wouldn't be able to take the uncertainty of her position in whatever heart he may have. She would crack up this time. Go crazy. Become one of those people who end up homeless or in an insane asylum. She giggled at the thought of herself in a straightjacket, old and out of her mind, babbling on to her fellow patients about demons and jewel shards.

Naraku raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in demeanor, but did not pause in his ministrations. Bringing his other hand down, he continued kneading her butt, expertly massaging Kagome's flesh until she stopped laughing, her mind back in the present. He smirked, and Kagome wanted to hit him as her doubts and fears came rushing back along with her desire. He was a very dangerous man, a hazard to her sanity and sense of reality.

Pretending to lean into him, she managed to slip off and onto the floor as he moved his hands to grasp at her face. She landed hard, legs akimbo, her badly rumpled skirt barely managing to cover anything. Her current position gave her an unexpectedly good view of Naraku's crotch, and she found herself staring at the straining fabric there, acutely aware of what lay beneath the dark blue material. Above her, Naraku chuckled, bringing her attention to his face. He seemed quite amused with her predicament. Her gaze flicking between his crotch and his face, she wet her suddenly dry lips, pink tongue darting out and quickly retreating as she caught him staring a little _too_ intently. Realizing what a compromising position she was in, Kagome made to get up, but was stopped by Naraku's hand on her shoulder again. "It's my turn now, don't you think?" he asked, insipid hand moving from her shoulder to cup her chin so that she had to look him in the eye. His gaze was so compelling Kagome could hardly stand it. She flinched away from his hand and controlling eyes and sat back, pondering her situation. He had created in her such _amazing _sensations that she had never even known existed before him twice now. Who was she to deny him the same pleasure? Kagome looked down at the tented fabric of Naraku slacks and knew what she must do. Even though she had never done it before, she was determined to give it her best effort. She always gave everything her all; this was no different.

Blushing slightly, she leaned forward between his legs and tentatively reached for his belt buckle, fingers trembling as she unhooked it and moved on to unbutton his pants. Naraku for his part, was completely silent and unmoving, but Kagome knew he was staring at her. She could feel the weight of his heavy gaze, could almost picture the hungry look in his eyes as he watched her. She moved on to his zipper with this knowledge, her hands brushing against his taut thighs as she drew it slowly down. The sound echoed embarrassingly in the silent office, but still he said nothing. Seeing his thickness straining against the fabric of his underwear made her even more embarrassed, yet she couldn't stop the thrill of excitement that ran through her, all the way down to her suddenly wet passage. As she hooked her fingers over the top of his underwear and pulled it down, exposing the long, thick length of him, she felt a trickle of moisture escape to flow down her leg.

Kagome had never seen a penis before, but she thought his looked very appealing. It was smooth, perfect, and so completely masculine she couldn't help but stare. Naraku moved then, his hand coming down to nudge her closer to him. Kagome obliged and leaned forward, her mouth hovering near the end of him, hot breath no doubt reaching him. She gripped the base of him, as her friends had explained to her to do when she was younger, and tentatively licked the head of him. At this Naraku sucked in a breath, the muscles in his stomach jumping, and moved his hand to the back of her head, silently urging her to continue. She leaned forward all the way this time, her mouth covering the head of him completely, his muscles jumping again.

Kagome rocked toward him, licking along the bottom of him as she slowly took as much as she could into her mouth. He was far too large for her to accept him completely; she didn't even come close to her hand. Mimicking the motions her friends had taught her, she moved her mouth back until she reached the head, before taking him back into her mouth. He tasted odd, but pleasant. A mix of salt and something else. She savored this unfamiliar taste as she continued licking up and down his length, pausing every now and then to swirl her tongue around the sensitive head. She dug her tongue into the slit at the end, causing him to tighten his grip on her head, his muscles jumping again. She felt sure she was doing something right, so she did it again when she came back to his head. Although he didn't jump as much this time, she could tell he was enjoying it. Continuing to lick along the underside of his shaft, she increased her pace, her mouth now moving twice as fast over him, Naraku's hand fisted in her hair, and he shifted his hips forward slightly as she continued to redouble her efforts.

All thought ceased for Kagome as she picked up the pace again, her hand fisting the portion of him she couldn't reach, her tongue aching from prolonged use. Naraku shifted forward again, chair squeaking as he moved, and it was enough to cause her to lose her rhythm, her teeth accidentally grazing his head as she rocked forward. Naraku's hand in her hair pulled violently, causing her to stop as he stood up and let go of her hair, pushing his chair backwards with a slight kick. Kagome, for her part, was mildly horrified. She knew from what her friends had told her that using teeth was bad, but she had no idea she'd get this intense a reaction. Brows furrowed and reddened lips parted, she looked up at Naraku.

"I-I'm sorry. I've never…I didn't mean to-" she started.

"That will be enough," he said, cutting her off and extending a hand to help her up. She blinked at his hand a few times before grasping it and allowing him to help her to her feet. He instantly drew her to him and leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. This both frightened and confused Kagome for a second, he had never kissed her like this before. Whenever they had kissed previously, it had always been like a collision, all tongues and teeth, never gentle, never soft. She must have looked at him funny, because he smirked. "Don't worry. I'll be your teacher," he said, the devious gleam back in his eyes. "For now, let's forget about that particular activity, shall we?"

Naraku let go of Kagome and let his hand wander down the front of her body, pausing only to fondle her breast, before moving down to unclasp the hook holding her skirt together. He slid his fingers inside and pulled the zipper down slowly, his other hand moving behind her to snake under her shirt and unclasp her bra. His hot length digging into her thigh was full of the promise of things to come. The fact that she did this to him made her feel bold enough to strip off her shirt and bra and let her skirt fall to the floor, although her blush came anew with Naraku staring at her completely naked.

He stepped back, his gaze wandering over her body, settling finally on the trail of moisture running down her thigh. With narrowed eyes, and his characteristic smirk, Naraku ran a hand down her side and leaned in to kiss her, their bodies crashing together as he cupped her butt with his hands and ground his length into her thigh. Kagome moaned into his mouth and wound her arms around his neck as he lifted her up and set her down on the desk, leaning them both onto the wood.

She closed her eyes, giving herself completely to the kiss, not noticing his hands leaving her butt until she felt an unfamiliar hardness press itself against her entrance. It was so thick feeling, she didn't know how it was going to fit. Naraku shifted his hips forward a fraction of an inch, teasing her with his length as he teased her mouth with his tongue. The small thrusting motions from both caused Kagome to throw her head back on the desk, groaning even as the duel sensation was lost. Naraku licked down her neck and settled on her nipple, licking it and taking it into his mouth as he pushed himself inside her. With his thickness stretching and filling her achingly empty passage and his mouth lavishing attention on her sensitive flesh, Kagome couldn't help the small moans that escaped from her. Naraku seemed to be fueled by this, as he finished pushing himself inside her tight passage quickly, immediately pulling back and beginning a rough pace. As Kagome's back arched off the desk, he slammed into her again and again.

She opened her eyes, and as he pounded into her, Kagome realized that the ageless stars were staring at her from behind Naraku's head. She had been wrong, so very wrong about everything. Why had she fought this man? What had he done to her personally? Nothing, but in self-defense. Moreover, when she really thought about it, he had had the same goal as Inuyasha in the first place and had pretty much gone about it in the same way, by slaughter and manipulation. So, why had she fought him? Kagome couldn't find the answer, and as Naraku slammed into her, hitting that one special spot, she was lost, forgetting everything.

Even afterwards, nothing was black and white to her anymore. Everything was tainted by shades of gray.

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Thanks for reading! This story is about to get deep. I know it's been all sexual up until this point, but that is just a set-up for future chapters. Yes, there will probably be a lot of sexual content, but it is not all about that. The summary is just a hint of what is to come. I really value constructive criticism. ILU if you do.


	3. Whispers on the Wind: An Interlude

**Pairing:** Naraku/Kagome

**Rating:** PG-13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from this story.

**Warnings:** none

**Whispers on the Wind: An Interlude (The Ties that Bind Us Ch. 3)**

**by: Naraku's Dark Soul**

Kagome sighed as she swept the steps of her family's shrine.

It had been a week since she'd given up her virginity. A week since she had seen him. Time stretched on through endless days filled with boring classes she could hardly pay attention to. Hadn't she used to enjoy them? She couldn't remember. The only thing that seemed to matter was finding that oneness she'd had for a brief moment with him. He made her feel whole again, reignited her long burnt out sense of adventure, and freed her from the weight of her guilt. Everything else was boring routine, a path carved by rote memory. It seemed the past was taking over her life again, only this time it was the present. It was as if she was under some kind of spell, and she wondered if this was really the case. She wouldn't put it past Naraku to do something like that, but she was thinking of the Naraku she knew in the past. This new Naraku was confusing to her. She felt that though she knew him, she didn't really _know _him. Maybe she never had.

She stopped sweeping, choosing instead to gaze at the filmy layer of clouds obscuring her view of the sun. The weather was dreary; it looked like it might rain. A sudden gust of wind tore at the long, purple skirt she was wearing and she put a hand down to hold the fabric in place. Her gaze dropped from the sky to the grey stairs at her feet. Squinting, she studied the old stones. She had always thought they were white, but it seemed her mind had deceived her. Perhaps nothing was really white in the world, purity itself a mere illusion. Shaking her head to clear her mind of such morose thoughts, she began sweeping again.

Some minutes later, when she was finally done, she climbed the grey steps and made her way toward the storage shed behind the main shrine. The wooden door was slightly ajar, the wind making it rattle a bit as it gusted again. Kagome frowned, unsure if she had closed it all the way or not. A strange feeling of foreboding stole over her, but she ignored it, reaching for the handle. As her fingers stretched toward the edge of the door, a scuffling noise sounded from within the building. She drew back quickly, the wind rattling the door again as she did so.

She stepped back, and the wind seemed to caress her, whispering her name. Shivering, she decided it was best to get it over with quickly. She swiftly reached over and threw the door open, the faint sunlight filling the small room as the door slid out of sight. Her eyes flitted from the old lawnmower her grandpa had bought to the shiny, new hedge clippers handing at the back of the shed. Nothing appeared to be out of place.

Kagome rolled her eyes at her own foolishness, stepping inside to put the broom in its proper spot. She leaned it against the wall as was customary, but paused when something on the floor caught her attention. There, among the slightly bent up tongs of the rake, was a single, white feather. Kagome quickly dropped the broom against the wall and leaned to pick it up. The feather was much longer than any ordinary bird's should have been, at least a foot in length and wide enough to match. It was light too, almost insubstantial in its weight, the soft downy fibers seeming almost ethereal as they shifted in the slight breeze coming in from outside the shed. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was doing in the small building, and resolved to ask her grandpa once she got inside. She turned on her heel to leave, the feather fluttering gently in the breeze as she held it.

Once outside, she slid the door shut, making sure it was closed this time, and headed back to the house. The threatening sky notwithstanding, she probably wouldn't stay for dinner anyway. It was getting quite late and she had to be up early for classes the next morning. The last train left in an hour, and she knew if she stayed for supper, she probably wouldn't make it.

She was almost to the back door when the feather started to grow warm in her fingers. She held it up near her face and it grew hotter, taking on a reddish hue. Startled, she dropped it, and not a moment too soon as it immediately burst into flames, burnt to nothing but ash in mere moments. Horrified at this development, Kagome quickly skirted the dwindling remnants of the feather and hurried inside, nearly smashing her fingers in the door in her haste. She huffed a quick breath and leaned close to the glass to see if she could spot anything unusual outside. She diverted her wide-eyed gaze to the spot where the feather had been, but the stone there was clean, not even a sooty trace of the feather.

With her heart hammering in her chest, Kagome turned away and calmly walked toward the stairs. It wouldn't do to get too upset about it. She had seen weirder things in her travels in the Sengoku Jidai; a self-combusting feather should be nothing to her.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur; she could hardly remember how she got home. Yet here she stood just inside her apartment, holding the door ajar and fumbling around in her purse for her suddenly ringing cell phone. As her fumbling fingers brushed it, it fell out of the small brown bag and clattered to the floor, Namie Amuro's "Come" filling the space as the song grew louder.

"Alright, alright!" Kagome exclaimed as she let the door go to reach down for her phone. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Behind her, the door slammed shut, leaving her in almost total darkness save for the shining screen of her happily chirping cell phone. She gave a triumphant cry as her hand closed around the grey device, flipping it open and bringing it to her ear.

"Hello?" she said, but received no response. The line was dead. Slightly disgruntled, she pulled the phone from her ear and snapped it shut before turning and flicking on the kitchen light. Whoever it was could always call back.

Although far from rich, Kagome's family had managed to land her a nice apartment. Three rooms in total, it consisted of a bedroom, small bathroom, and a half kitchen dining room. She had no idea how she'd gotten so lucky, most students living off campus ended up with just a bed and bath, or even just a bedroom with a shared bathroom. She had supposed it might be her Grandfather's connections--many wealthy patrons stopped by the shrine and were friends with its owner--but she didn't know for sure.

Kagome walked to the fridge and opened the shiny, chrome door, peering inside. Nothing but a half-eaten bento and a few condiments were visible. She sighed as her stomach rumbled. It was instant ramen for her. She hated eating the stuff. It reminded her too strongly of the past for her own comfort.

Usually, her fingers shook as she tore open the container, but not tonight. Kagome's hand was steady as she opened the left of her two cabinets and extracted her dinner. She shut the Formica door softly and dropped the container onto the grey counter. She paused to retrieve a pot from the other side of the cabinet and went to the sink to fill it with water. Once it was full, Kagome came back and, hardly blinking, set it to boil on one of the burners, carefully turning the handle away from the open space of her kitchen. She'd had a nasty accident with boiling water in the recent past and was still being cautious because of it. Kagome put the top on the pot to help the water to boil, and moved past the fridge, sliding the door there open so she could get into her bedroom.

The windowless room was small, but not cramped. Straight across from her was her double size bed, the mauve cover slightly rumpled from where she'd hurriedly tucked it in the morning previous. She'd stayed at the shrine last night in her old room, the pale yellow wallpaper there a striking contrast to the sickening lilac color adorning her walls here. If she'd been allowed to, she would have painted over it already. As it was, she was stuck with it as well as the shabby end table to the right of her bed. The light wood was peeling in strips down the side and there was a curious green stain on one of the top corners. Always slightly repulsed by this, she only used the thing as a place for her alarm clock and the occasional glass of water to sit. Well, there was one other thing, but she didn't like to think about it too much. The single item taking up room in the chipped drawer was Inuyasha's necklace. She still remembered reaching for him in the heat of battle, but finding only the necklace of subjugation, which had snapped--beads flying everywhere--in her grasp. She refused to think about what had happened next, choosing instead to cross the equally vile maroon carpet to her closet on the opposite side of the bed from the end table. She slid the doors open and began unbuttoning her grey shirt. When the last button was undone, she shivered, the chill air of the room getting to her--she'd have to remember to keep the thermostat at a higher temperature--and hurriedly put it on a coat hanger. Her grey bra was next, slipping off her now ample bosom and to the floor where she left it. She would deal with that later.

She found her pajama shirt tucked safely under her pillow and put it on before unbuttoning and unzipping her skirt and tossing it in the dirty laundry pile on the floor of her closet. The shirt might be good for another day, but the skirt definitely had to go. She fished under her pillow again and came out with the bottom of her outfit, slipping the medium green pants on over her dark blue, satin panties before pulling her hair out of the top of her outfit.

Feeling a little fresher, she headed back into the kitchen, lifting the lid on the pot when she got there. The water was just starting to boil. Satisfied that she had a minute, Kagome walked back into her bedroom and around the right side of her bed. She paused briefly, examining a new crack in the whitewashed door and hoping she wouldn't have to pay for it when she left. Sighing, she slid the door open and stepped inside. The blue tiles adorning the small room were always a relief to her after the various and sometimes clashing shades of purple in the bedroom. She turned to the bathtub on the left, intent on letting the tub fill with water before she ate. She wanted to have a nice soak after dinner and wouldn't be long enough eating that the water would get cold. The brass knob squeaked loudly as she turned it and the hot water roared to life, pouring into the drain at the bottom of the faux porcelain tub until she plugged it with a rubber stopper.

The water was, as usual, slow in filling the tub up. As she waited, Kagome made sure she had a towel and washcloth handy for her soak later. It had been a while since she had done laundry, but the green cloths were still nice and fresh. She set them on the cracked sink, near the tub. The mirror above the sink was a bit dirty, and Kagome made a mental note of it. She would have to clean it soon. Since coming back for good from the Sengoku Jidai, she harbored a distaste for dirty things. Those long days and nights having to make do with hardly any clean clothes, not to mention the distinct smell of the people of that era, had left their mark on her.

Sighing, she walked back through her bedroom and into the kitchen to check the water. It was hard to tell with the water pouring into the tub, but she thought she had heard the telltale sound of bubbles rising in the kitchen. Sure enough, the water was boiling, bubbles rising at a steady rate from the stainless steel. Kagome ripped open the brightly colored package of instant ramen and, setting the seasoning aside, dropped the noodles into the water.

One unsatisfying meal and an hour long soak later and Kagome was ready for bed. She had early classes the next day and needed to be awake for them. Going to bed early usually wasn't a problem for her, but as she settled under her mauve covers, Kagome found her mind drifting back to the incident with the feather. It really had been unnatural, and it got her to wondering if there were demons in the modern era. Aside from the occasional long-slumbering one, she had not met any. It had always been a point of curiosity for her, but one never fully explored. It wasn't as if she could just go out looking for them. With her companions and powers gone, she was just another human and would likely be killed. No one to save her now. An image of Naraku flashed across her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling lonely and slightly ashamed, but eclipsing all of that, hungry for more.

.

So, this is where the story starts to take a turn. I have a _huge_ plotline mapped out for this. Romance, sex, angst, adventure, and spiritual themes are all included. Hopefully you will stick with me?


	4. The Color of Things

**Pairing:** Naraku/Kagome

**Rating/Warnings: **PG-15 // None

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from this story.

**The Color of Things (The Ties that Bind Us Ch. 4)  
**

**by: Ryoko (Lewd Concubine)**

It was one of those days. Hot, cloudless, and without any hope for change according to the local forecaster. Sighing, Kagome picked up a notebook and fanned herself. It was true she could have turned the AC down--she wasn't the one paying for it, after all--but she hated to run up the bill for her grandfather. The need to be useful, productive in some way, had stuck with her through her teenage years and into her twenties. Kagome was more than glad to be of help to others, even if it was just saving someone money.

Deciding it was better to get ready now than later, she walked into her bedroom and opened her closet. She and Naraku had…well, she was hesitant to call it anything other than an _appointment_… In any case, he had asked her to meet him at one of the most popular French restaurants in the city. And by that, he meant he would be picking her up and dropping her off. Kagome did not know how to feel about this new development, but she had been unable to say no to him. He was fast becoming some kind of addiction, bringing momentary relief to the tedium of her life, but with consequences. Perhaps it was the fact that no one had ever shown her so much interest before, or the fact that he seemed to be the only one left from the past where she had felt the most alive. Either way, she was hooked.

Frowning at the clothes in her closet, Kagome selected a long, black skirt and matching, dark blue blouse and set them on the bed. After closing the doors, she crossed the bedroom and went into the bathroom. There was no way she was leaving without being clean.

A few hours and one shower later, Kagome was nervously checking the time, shifting from foot to foot and clutching her small, black purse as she waited for Naraku to arrive. She had no idea what kind of car he was going to be driving, and found herself jumping a little each time one slowed down for the nearby stop sign. She still did not know how he had gotten her phone number, or how he knew her address, and resolved to find out over dinner.

Running her fingers through her hair, Kagome almost missed it when a limousine pulled up to the curb. She started at the sound of a car door and was unsure whether she should approach as the driver who had stepped out was an older man she did not recognize. Still, she considered the fact it might be one of Naraku's disguises and did approach the car in the end. With a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, the old man opened the rear door, gesturing for her to enter. "Miss Higurashi, if you please," he said, tone formal but devoid of any warmth. Kagome hesitated again, but folded herself into the car nonetheless.

The inside was comparatively so dark, it took her a moment to register she was not alone. Sitting across from her, perfectly at ease, was Naraku. He was in his usual suit, this time dark blue, almost purple. It reminded her of what he had worn in the past and she wondered if these were his favorite colors. She wondered if hanyou even had any, only to realize a second later how silly her musing was. Of course they did.

"What is your favorite color?" she asked, almost as if to make up for her thought.

Naraku's eyebrows twitched upwards, but he did not show any other sign he had heard her. Finally, as his chauffer closed the door, he slid forward until their knees were almost touching. "You never cease to surprise me," he said, chuckling and brushing his fingers over the hem of her skirt. She could not tell if Naraku was mocking or complimenting her. As her cheeks heated up for the first of what was sure to be many times, she decided it did not matter. He was there. He had not forgotten, abandoned, or used her. _He was still interested in her._ Undoubtedly, Naraku _had_ changed. Or perhaps, as she had thought many times since meeting him again, she had never really known him.

"We match," he said, running the fabric of her skirt through his thumb and forefinger. Kagome thought perhaps this was an answer to her earlier query, but it did not satisfy her curiosity. Still, she supposed she would not get much more out of him. Naraku seemed to like being an enigma.

"How did you get my phone number and my address, anyway?" she asked, abandoning her earlier question as the vehicle rumbled to life. His hand stilled on her knee for a moment, and she knew she had caught him off guard. She _had_ been meaning to wait, but somehow it just slipped out. Perhaps he had thought she would wait as well. Or maybe he was thrown off by her lack of a greeting. Did he expect one? _Of course_. She was being rude. Kagome slumped, ever so slightly, in her seat.

"I'm sorry. Here I am asking all these other questions when I haven't even asked how you are." The hand that had stilled on her knee rose to her arm and grasped her, fingers encircling and tightening around her arm.

Naraku pulled her to her feet and settled her in his lap before she had drawn a breath to object. His lips crushed against hers, again cutting off any protest she might have had. His hand then moved to the back of her head, threading through her hair and holding her against him, although he need not have done so. She had been kissing him back almost since his lips touched hers, hadn't she? Not that she objected to his touch, either. It was, perhaps, the first time she had had someone act this possessive of her. The feeling was thrilling.

Her thoughts became muddled as the kiss deepened, as Naraku ran a hand down her side to grasp at her free arm. As suddenly as it had began, the kiss was over, Naraku pulling back to leave her disheveled and wanting more.

"If you must know," he hesitated, "I have several." His voice was tranquil, his breathing calm. His features, too, were relaxed--quite the contrast to Kagome, whose hair was mussed and lipstick smeared. Breathless, she fought to regain composure. She was not sure how he did it, going from passionate to stoic in the space of a few moments. She couldn't remember him doing such in the past, not that she had been around him much.

As usual, Kagome was so lost in her musings she almost did not register what he had said. As his words sank in, it occurred to her she really had to work on her absentmindedness. It wasn't a trait she had been born with, rather one she had grown into.

"What…?" She didn't know what he was talking about, but then she remembered her first question. "_Oh_." Kagome beamed, shifting in his lap. Naraku may have evaded her question at first, but he had answered it. The enigma himself was fraying at the edges! "What would those be?" she asked, wanting even more specific detail.

He chuckled, the sound sliding down her spine to pool in her groin. "You mean to tell me you don't have a guess? I thought it would be obvious." He leaned in as if to kiss her again, but whispered in her ear instead. "Purple and blue." Kagome shivered, then laughed it off.

"Ah, I should have known." It was obvious now that he had told her. She hadn't seen Naraku in anything _but _purple or blue, after all.

"Very observant of you," he agreed, his hair tickling her cheek as he righted himself. He was smiling, and it was knowing.

Kagome opened her mouth to voice some retort, but the car came to a sudden stop. A moment later and the chauffer was there, helping them out.

Naraku snaked an arm around her waist as he led her inside the restaurant. Kagome tried to resist the urge to blush. She had all evening to be embarrassed.

.

First, I deeply apologize for the boring last chapter. It's somewhat of an embarrassment to me with the unnecessary blow-by-blow of everything. Sorry! I will work harder in the future and will edit it when I have the time. First draft is the exploration draft, and while that may not be as true of fanfiction, I am still getting to know the characters.

Now on to the good stuff. I cut this short because I had the motivation to take it this far and I figured everyone would like an update. My muse is a fickle beast, but I hope to progress a lot farther with the story this year. Hopefully everyone's interest is renewed with the new anime. Thank you all for the reviews, watches, and faves. It means a lot to me. Onwards, and upwards! o7


	5. On the Nature of Time and Self

**Pairing:** Naraku/Kagome

**Rating/Warnings: **PG-13 // None

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from this story.

**On the Nature of Time and Self (The Ties that Bind Us Ch. 5)  
**

**by: Ryoko (Lewd Concubine)**

Kagome had never eaten _foie gras_ before, but she found it delicious. It was soft and buttery and practically melted in her mouth. It had been one of the least expensive things on the menu, which suited Kagome just fine. It didn't matter to her how much money Naraku had; she still hated wasting any of it.

Naraku had ordered them some wine, but he hardly touched his own glass or his plate of…whatever that was--Kagome didn't remember. It made her wonder if he, and by extension, demons, ate human food often. But then, she supposed things might be different for him because of his half-human heritage.

Kagome was feeling very self-conscious as she spread the _foie gras_ over the accompanying bread.

"Do you like it?" he asked, once she had finished her second bite.

"Yes, it's very good." Kagome put the knife down. She had been distracted by the food and the ambiance, but refused to be put off any further. "How did you get my phone number and address?"

Naraku's smile never faded. "I have my ways." He swirled the wine around in his glass and took a sip. The liquid was as crimson as his eyes, and Kagome found herself distracted by it. She realized her mistake a moment later.

"That's not an answer." Kagome frowned and stopped eating.

"Not all answers are pleasing," he returned, setting his glass on the table, his fingers trailing sensuously down the stem before he completely let it go.

"I…" Kagome started, her eyes riveted to Naraku's hand. She shook her head. "It would be different if your answer was anything but an evasion." She raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

"You are saying mystery does not add to appeal?" The question threw her and she fought to keep it off her face.

"Of course, but not in this case." Kagome picked up her knife and began preparing a third piece of bread. "I'd prefer to know," she added, her backbone firm and unwavering--until he smiled and she blushed.

"It's not as complicated as you seem to think it is," Naraku offered. He was still smiling. Kagome, who had managed to counter his obvious charm by looking at his wine glass, remained unimpressed.

"That's still not an answer." She was proud of herself for not giving in. Naraku chuckled his defeat.

"Your presence is, shall we say, _unmistakable_. It was not hard to find out the rest." Ah, so that was it. Kagome felt silly. She had expected some kind of…well, she didn't know exactly what, but something involving wire-tapping and bribes and… She was getting carried away again. This wasn't some kind of movie, and Naraku was no ordinary businessman. But another thought had occurred to her. If there was any truth to his words--which she suspected there was. What reason did he have to lie?--where were all the other demons? If her presence was that obvious, why hadn't they found and killed her? _Or come for the jewel years before_? For that matter, why hadn't _Naraku_ come for the jewel before she could even go down the well? Her brow furrowed and she put her knife down again, not bothering to eat what she had prepared. Naraku spoke again, as if he had sensed her line of thought.

"They are all gone, Kagome." She blanched. How had he…?

"What do you mean, all gone? What about your uh," Kagome was finding it hard to reconcile the idea of Naraku with--, "your employees?" He nodded and responded without pause.

"All my incarnations, and all under my control." Her eyes widened. _No wonder they hadn't seemed very friendly._ Well, the two she had met so far.

"Do you employ any humans? Or are they all…yours?" Kagome wasn't sure how she felt about any of it, and anxiety began to gnaw at her and ruin the mood that had built up between them.

"Yes, but only where they won't become a problem for me," he admitted. He was still smiling, but it had a certain strained quality to it Kagome was able to recognize. She had exhibited the same kind of smile many times in the past, usually whenever one of her classmates asked about her illnesses. She recognized, then, what some part of her must have always known all along: that there was much, much more to Naraku than was apparent. He was still the same demon--man?--she had known from the past, the only thing between then and the present mysterious time. He had undoubtedly grown. His methods were different, but had he _really _changed? Kagome wanted to believe he had, but some small part of her disagreed.

He cleared his throat and she looked up, aware that she had become lost in her thoughts once again. She offered him a thin smile of her own.

"Do you not wonder why I never came for the jewel?" All the color left her face and her smile disappeared.

"I--," she began, but he cut her off.

"I don't need it anymore. I have not for a long time." The revelation caught her by surprise, almost as much as the preceding question. Again, she tried to speak, and again, he cut her off.

"I would not be who I am today without the past," he said, and his eyes seemed to grow sad for a moment. However, it was gone so quickly; Kagome was sure she had imagined it. "I had no reason to change any of it."

And there it was. She could feel the knots in her stomach relaxing, could feel that small voice stifled. She smiled again, wider than before.

"Thank you. I think I needed to hear that." She also was who she was because of the past. She had regretted it before, had lived in bitter despair, but she was starting to believe it was all for a reason. Her heart felt lighter than it had in ages, even after meeting Naraku again.

He offered her another warm smile, and bade her to eat again. She did as he suggested, and the rest of dinner passed in a haze of pleasant conversation, great food, and general good will.

They were on their way back to the limo when Kagome noticed something on the ground. It was a feather. A long, white feather.

As she watched, it began to turn red.

.

I'm concentrating more on content and less on length. Can you tell, I wonder. Reviews are much appreciated and con-crit is my lifeblood as I have no beta. Thank you and enjoy.


	6. The Desire to Please

**Pairing:** Naraku/Kagome

**Rating/Warnings: M / Sex scene in this chapter**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from this story.

**The Desire to Please (The Ties that Bind Us Ch. 6)  
**

**by: Ryoko (Lewd Concubine)**

Kagome clutched Naraku's arm as the feather burst into flames and burnt down to ashes. It was just like what she had seen at the shrine. Kagome had thought it weird, but had put it out of her head. With fresh evidence in front of her, she couldn't ignore it anymore.

"What was that?" she asked, looking up at Naraku. His brows were creased in a slight frown, but his expression smoothed out once he caught her eye.

"I'm sure it's nothing," he said, rubbing a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps some new party favor." Kagome couldn't believe her ears. If that was the case, how had one ended up in the shed?

"I don't think so. Something is definitely off with it." She clutched his arm tighter, suddenly feeling chilled. "I…there was one exactly like it in my parents' shed when I was cleaning up." Naraku's hand stilled on her arm. He stood a little straighter and began to lead them towards the limousine once more.

"It probably blew in with the wind," he said, motioning for her to get inside the car as the chauffeur held the door open. Kagome nodded, and then slid inside until there was enough room for Naraku to follow. That had to be it. The door to the shed _had_ been open, after all. And it had been a windy day. Kagome let out a breath and relaxed against the seat. A moment later and Naraku joined her, sliding in until their legs were pressed against each other. As always, she was especially conscious of his proximity and of the warmth seeping through layers of fabric to her leg. She blushed and looked away.

The door shut and the two of them were left alone in the relative darkness of the limousine. Naraku's hand found its way to her thigh and her blush brightened.

"You look very lovely this evening, Kagome," he said, for the second time.

"I-thank you," Kagome replied, still attempting to hide her blush. Naraku, it seemed, would have none of this. He tilted her head toward his and, gazing into her eyes, kissed her. As his lips moved against hers, Kagome felt all her worries seeping away. It was always like this, so she had come to regard his kisses as a form of magic. Sometimes she wondered if it would have been like this with Inuyasha, but that was only on a rare occasion. She didn't like to think about the past too much, and Inuyasha least of all.

Naraku ran a hand through her hair, his fingertips sending a pleasant tingle through her scalp. She let out a muffled gasp and pressed her lips harder against his own. He responded in kind, his other hand drifting under her skirt to caress her bare thigh. As those talented fingers kneaded her flesh, Kagome felt desire pool low in her gut. That which he had previously awakened in her could never be silenced again, and it had been so _long_. An eternity. Naraku's hand moved to her crotch. He cupped her through her panties, and she shuddered, her back bowing. Naraku stroked a dexterous thumb against her clit, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. Their kiss intensified along with the motion of Naraku's hand, and Kagome found herself rocking against him, strained little noises escaping into his mouth despite her best efforts.

He moved to trail kisses down her jaw and then suck on her neck, and she was left panting his name as he brought her to completion. Kagome sagged against him, her mind a complete blank. After a few moments, she became aware of the chuckle rumbling through his chest. She looked up at him, her face still glowing from the pleasure of orgasm.

"You look good like that," Naraku said, and if Kagome hadn't already been flushing, she would have now. She buried her face in the crook of his arm. His fingers unwound themselves from her hair and came to stroke her back. After the soothing motion relieved her of her embarrassment, Kagome realized she hadn't done anything for Naraku. He had been unselfish in all ways this evening, and she had left him wanting. Kagome moved away enough to glance down at his crotch and, sure enough, found his prominent erection straining the fabric of his pants. She looked up to find his crimson eyes boring into hers, but he said nothing. Her embarrassment returned, but she steeled herself.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, and he smiled.

"You don't have to do anything for me, Kagome. The _pleasure_ of your company is more than enough." His words sent a shiver down her spine and she found herself becoming aroused again.

"I know, but I want to." She really did want to do something nice for him. Beyond that, she also wanted _more_. Naraku's smile was dark and knowing before he gave her a kiss on the lips. This one was different, not nearly as hungry, but Kagome could tell he was holding back. "I mean it."

"I know." Naraku gave no other reply. He simply hooked a finger around the waistband of her panties and began to draw them down her legs. Kagome caught on and helped them the rest of the way down. She kicked them off and they slid to the floor, forgotten. After she had done this, Naraku put one hand on her back and guided her into his lap. She slid one leg to either side of him as he began to undo the buttons on her dark blue blouse. Kagome was unsure of what to do while she waited, but eventually decided to grind herself against him. He let out a shaky breath at the first touch of her sex to his, this causing her to feel more self-confident in what she was doing. As Naraku tossed aside her blouse and then moved onto undoing her bra, Kagome rocked against him in long, sure strokes. His hands hesitated on the last clasp of her bra as she pressed a little harder against him. Kagome felt a swell of triumph in the fact she had even slowed him down. However, it was short-lived as he tossed her bra aside and his hand found her breasts. Pleasure rolled through her even as he stilled her with his other hand.

Naraku motioned for her to lift up enough for him to free himself. She did, and he unzipped his pants before sighing as he loosed his erection. Deft, firm fingers guided her down over him until the head of his erection brushed against her clit. Kagome shuddered, a groan tearing from her throat as he adjusted himself further down and then began to push inside. She still wasn't used to this, even though she craved it.

His hands moved to her waist as he pushed himself inside. Kagome made little noises of protest and pleasure as he stretched her wide. The sensation of being so filled was almost _too_ good. Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath when he had fully penetrated her and waited for her muscles to adjust. Naraku diverted his attention back to her breasts, one arm curling around her back and holding her to him while he sucked and bit at them. Each touch sent more pleasure to curl in her groin until she was twitching around his cock.

Naraku groaned around a mouthful of her breast, but then drew back. His gaze was smoldering as it bored into hers.

"You wanted to do something for me." His voice sent another pleasurable shiver through her, and she had to think for a moment. When it finally occurred to her what he wanted, she began to move. She went slow at first as she got used to the position and the feeling of his cock sliding in and out of her body, but increased the pace as he began to play with her breasts anew.

Kagome braced her arms on his shoulders as she rode him. Naraku was still at first, but after Kagome began to move even faster, he pushed up, meeting her thrust for thrust. His indomitable silence was broken only by the occasional grunt reverberating through her chest as he continued his ministrations. Each touch of his mouth to her flesh, in addition to his cock boring into her as she rode him, sent waves of pleasure through her already sensitive body. It wasn't long before she came, uttering his name in a breathy groan as she fought to keep riding him. The spasms of her pleasure clamping down on his cock brought him soon after. He clutched her to him, breathing deeply.

After a minute like this, Kagome slid off of Naraku to flop against his side. He did not protest. When she looked up, she saw his eyes were closed. If she had had the breath, she would have voiced some concerned question or another. As it was, Kagome could barely calm herself.

.

This is dedicated to Sakurazukamori6 whose unflagging support has made it possible. I'd say her work is the magnum opus of Death Note fanfiction if I knew it wouldn't embarrass her. In any case, I'm continuing in the vein of shorter chapters with more content. Otherwise, the last two, this one, and the next one would be one huge chapter probably out next _year_. I never claimed to be fast! There is a point to the feathers, I promise. All will be revealed in time.


	7. Reflections: An Interlude

**Pairing:** Naraku/Kagome

**Rating/Warnings: T / mentions of sex**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from this story.

**Reflections: An Interlude (The Ties that Bind Us Ch. 7)  
**

**by: Ryoko (Lewd Concubine)**

Naraku liked Kagome as she was: resting against his arm. Having her dependant on him was a far greater pleasure than the one he had just allowed himself. He had a purpose for the activity, of course, but the fact remained that he was truly being indulgent at the moment.

Seconds and then minutes passed as they both calmed themselves. Interesting how time could become significant to a relatively immortal being. Naraku tucked himself back in and then zipped up his pants as he mused on Kagome's unique effect on him. The limousine drove on, but there was hardly a whisper of sound from the outside world. Their relative isolation was as sure a sign of his ownership of her as he had ever needed.

Naraku repressed the urge to chuckle. It was not the appropriate time. He could revel in it later, perhaps. He ran a hand through Kagome's hair instead. She looked up at him and he smiled. It was easy for him.

"We should get you cleaned up." They were close to his building. Not that it mattered. His servant would have driven them around had they not finished in time-Naraku had found effective methods for control over the years and he was employing one here. If there was anything that man had taught him, it was that he was right to install a failsafe in every one of his subordinates.

Warmth began to seep away as she moved and he found that he missed it, if only for the connotations it brought. She was his even though his initial slip-up had made his victory an unsure thing for a while.

The lack of a challenge almost disappointed him. Really, she was far too forgiving. But he was much more excited for her presence than was reasonable. Several centuries of relative peace must have taken their toll. After absorbing or rendering impotent all the demons in the world, he had been left powerful and alone with nothing but a vague sense of greater destiny to keep ennui at bay. That was until he had met _them_. Naraku avoided thinking about it so as not to draw one to him. They were tricky like that. Like him.

Naraku slid Kagome's panties up her legs. His crimson gaze lingered on her used sex for a proprietary moment before he covered it. His gaze met hers and he reveled in the way she drank him in with her eyes even as she blushed. Naraku leaned in to place a kiss, deceptive in its gentleness, on her forehead.

"We're almost there." A moment later and the limousine slid to a stop. Kagome placed her hands on him as if to push him away and began to babble-really, was she being modest _now_? Naraku moved back as if he were a gentleman and allowed her to collect herself before his driver opened the door. She was back to normal once more by the time the cool night breeze wafted inside.

Naraku looped his arm through Kagome's own once they were free of the car. He returned the bellman's dark gaze and smirked. Ah, so envious, his incarnations. Naraku led Kagome past him and into the building. Her eyes were as wide as he had ever seen them as she took in the décor. Such surprise there. No doubt because it was entirely different from all expectations. Dark woods were replaced by light and gold by silver. Instead of black marble, there was white. All this had been done on a whim. Eternity stretched never-ending before him and he was easily bored.

"Wow. I just-"

"Do you like it?" he asked, before she could ramble on. This was of her least attractive traits.

Ah, and there was her redemptive blush again. She nodded and he smiled.

Naraku guided her to the floor-to-ceiling windows that traveled the length of his penthouse apartment. They gazed out at the city for some minutes before Naraku sensed one of _them_ coming. He remained impassive for a moment, and then took Kagome's arm again.

"You must be tired," he said, as he turned her from the windows to face him. Her smile was weary this time.

"I am. I mean. Well…" She trailed off as her cheeks flared to bright red life again. It was closer now, but Naraku couldn't rush her too much. He had to make the transition seem as natural as possible. There was an art to this, and one he was well versed in despite the pressure from having _that_ obstacle show up to foil his plans.

"Would you like to shower?" She let out a breath and nodded again. He guided her away from the window and gestured in the direction of the bathroom. "Please, help yourself."

"Thank you." Naraku could see the tension in her shoulders-regret, was it?-as she walked away. He cast a glance behind him to the being that hovered grand and impotent outside of his well-protected apartment. He was nude and resplendent in his fury. Silver hair was cropped close to his head and bright, ethereal wings framed his glowing body.

Naraku smirked at the angel and, with a flick of his wrist, caused his blinds to begin their automatic descent. He followed Kagome into the depths of his untouchable fortress without looking back again.

.

Oh boy. I'm not too sure about this chapter (can it even be called that?), but here it is! I care about Naraku very much so he is hard to write for me. Kagome? Easy peasy. So hopefully the next chapter will be faster and better. And the mystery is finally revealed though it is not as simple as it seems. Dedicated to Nathia for her wonderful review which prompted me to finish it. Thanks for reading and sticking with me, everyone.


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